The present invention relates to a liquid crystal shutter array utilized, for example, as a liquid crystal optical shutter. More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid crystal shutter array in which the magnitude and/or application time, or the frequency of a voltage applied to a liquid crystal is controlled to thereby modulate the quantity of transmitted or reflected light.
Conventionally, when a picture is recorded on a photosensitive material using a liquid crystal shutter array, a process as shown in FIG. 1 has been generally used. That is, a parallel light beam 1 is made incident on a liquid crystal shutter array 10 controlled in accordance with a picture signal so that the parallel light beam 1 is on/off-controlled or shutter-controlled by the liquid crystal shutter array 10. The beam 1 is focused on a photosensitive material 30 through a Selfoc lens array 20 so as to record a picture on the photosensitive material 30. ("Selfoc" is a trade name of Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd., and a Selfoc lens is a lens of the refractive index distribution type). In this liquid crystal shutter array 10, a pair of orientation films 12A and 12B are disposed in opposition to each other with a predetermined interval (for example, 6.mu.) therebetween filled with a liquid crystal 11. Transparent pixel electrodes 13 for forming picture elements of the liquid crystal shutter array 10 with a predetermined arrangement are embedded in one orientation film 12B at predetermined intervals. As shown in FIG. 1, photomasks 17 for intercepting the light are embedded in the other orientation film 12A at portions not corresponding to or not in alignment with the pixel electrodes 13, and a common electrode 14 is disposed on the outside of the photomasks 17. Further, a transparent substrate 15A made of glass or the like is disposed on the outside of the common electrode 14, a transparent substrate 15B is disposed on the outside of the orientation film 12B, and polarization plates 16A and 16B are further stacked on the respective outside of those transparent substrates 15A and 15B.
In FIG. 1, generally, the parallel light beam 1 is not a completely parallel beam, and therefore an example in which the incident angle is exceedingly enlarged is illustrated for the sake of explanation.
In shutter-controlling the parallel light beam 1 with the liquid crystal shutter array 10 to thereby record a picture on the photosensitive material 30, because the so-called parallel light beam 1 is not completely parallel, the degree of diffusion of the light may become so large that sufficient resolution cannot be obtained unless the light emerging from the liquid crystal shutter array 10 is converted by a focusing element such as the Selfoc lens array 20 provided between the liquid crystal shutter array 10 and the photosensitive material 30. However, the use of such a lens array is disadvantageous in that the optical system is large in size and results in a reduced efficiency of utilization of light.